Big Lots in Tyler Texas

1421 S Beckham Ave
Tyler TX, 75701
Phone: 903-595-0388
Hours: M-Sat 9am-9pm Sun 10-6pm

 Big Lots is a store in a category of it’s own. It’s definitely a place for bargain seekers, rather like a big scale Dollar General but with more branded items and ‘end of range’ items from other stores. They sell, it seems, a bit of everything, from home décor and low priced furniture to groceries, toys and gardening items. There is a big health and beauty section, lots of storage and cleaning products, baby equipment, a few shoes and clothes and a nice selection of cards. There is always a good seasonal display too. Frequently the bargains spill out onto the sidewalk outside the store too!

I don’t shop at Big Lots regularly but I always seem to fill up a cart when I do go in and I come out happy. There’s something about browsing for bargains that is good therapy. I have a friend who goes there weekly – she is drawn in by the bread which is exceptionally good value apparently, and the snacks like pretzels, chips and cereal bars for school lunches – but she seems to leave there with lots of assorted extra purchases too. She is definitely a serious bargain hunter and scans the weekly ad from Big Lots to get the best deals. Big Lots has a rewards scheme called the Buzz Club for regular customers like her – you can check out the details at www.biglots.com.

The store itself is not particularly attractive. On entering you can get a cart and see the latest items in front of you, and the aisles behind that, with fully laden shelves of ‘stuff’ are in a vague semblance of order but not that easy to navigate around. It feels a bit like a warehouse. At the back of the store is a not very pleasant restroom and a clearance rack for extra savings on mainly damaged goods. Nearer the front is the furniture. It didn’t look that great to be honest, but perhaps there are good deals to be had on some of the items available. I didn’t think much of the clothing section either but the prices were low.

I can’t remember many of the things I bought at Big Lots – I guess it was mainly groceries, stationery and household items plus a few cards, but I did find a great deal on games for the Wii. I was tempted by the candles and photo frames but not by the toys which didn’t seem to be particularly great quality and quite highly priced. Music from the 80s accompanied me whilst I shopped. There was only one girl at the checkout and she didn’t have the keys to the cabinet for the video games. After a while she managed to pick the lock and I made my purchases. That is the kind of place that Big Lots is!

If you have time to browse, a visit to Big Lots can be quite fun. The things for sale vary quite a lot from week to week so no visit to Big Lots will ever be the same. However, don’t expect it to be a Macy’s experience (or even a Walmart) – you’ll be disappointed!

Oh and by the way, Big Lots has another location on S. Broadway opposite the mall.